Natural Instincts
by BlackpoolQueen
Summary: When Clara hears about the huge beast terrorising a village, she decides it's the perfect chance to prove her courage, to be the hero. But what will she do when she finds out that the monster she seeks isn't exactly what everyone thinks? Enchanted forest AU


A/N: Hey everyone! Still on holiday here, but have a little something meanwhile. This was a tumblr request. I took a couple liberties here and there anon, but hopefully you'll like it anyway. Thanks for the support!

Any similarities between this and Beauty and the Beast is -not- mere coincidence. Some might read this as a Clamy version of the Red Beauty ship from Once Upon a Time. Also, I've been told I dropped quite a few Frozen references. I swear only one of those was on purpose.

There might be a continuation to this if you like it, so tell me what you think in the reviews!

* * *

Okay, this is when you show your bravery. This is the time to be the hero.

Clara wielded the small sliver blade she had stolen from the armory in her father's castle and forced herself to take the first step into the cave. The forest was thick around her, and it occurred to her that if something went wrong no one would hear her scream.

She had read stories about creatures like that one, and she had been asking around the nearest village to make sure she understood it's nature. Tales suggested it was like a wolf, only it was strangely large, with teeth like knives that could rip apart a man's throat with a single bite. It's paws could detach a limb from a body without effort. No one could survive being attacked by such a beast, and the only ones that could testify it's existence were poor shepherds that had helplessly watched as their sheep were devoured by the wolf, and lucky survivors from hunting parties that had tried, unsuccessfully, to kill it.

Normally, it would be unthinkable for a girl like Clara to face a monster like that, but she was confident she had some advantage over the huntsmen that had failed before: in one of her books, she had found a poem that told the story of a young boy whose father had been killed by a wolf that fitted the description of the one she was about to encounter. The boy, seeking revenge, went to a witch known for her knowledge of dark magic, and she gave him a silver arrow that he had to use to pierce the wolf's heart. The boy set up a trap for the wolf, and when the creature jumped on top of him he dug the arrow into its chest. The wolf fell, dead. The last part of the poem was lost, but Clara believed -_hoped_\- what she had was all she needed to know. In any case, her books had never failed her so far, she had no reason not to trust them.

As she went further into the cave, Clara thought about her father. Her only regret if she died would be that she would never see him again, and that he would be very upset with her. If she went back home he would still be upset, but at least she would have proven herself a hero, or at least more than just a princess.

If the information she had gathered was correct, the wolf would be asleep. There would be a full moon that night, and it would be gathering strength to hunt it's food.

The cave became narrower and darker, so Clara whispered a spell and a small floating ball of light appeared by her side and moved with her. She didn't like to use magic; usually nothing good came out of it, but she knew a bit about it and sometimes it came in handy. Besides, focusing on keeping the light under control stopped her from being too afraid.

She reached the end of the cave, but she didn't find a wolf. Instead, there was a girl about her age, asleep.

It was like a vision, and a complete shock given Clara had been expecting a hideous beast. The girl was absolutely beautiful. She had hair red like fire, and skin as white as snow. Her lips seemed to be made of roses, her features were like sculpted by a fairy. What could she possibly be doing in the wolf's cave? Of course, there was a chance Clara had done something wrong while trying to track down the creature, but she had been so sure she had found the right place…

The girl started waking up, probably due to the light Clara had brought into the cave, so she made it disappear -there was a fire illuminating the cave, anyway.

The princess kneeled beside her, to check she was alright. The girl opened her eyes, but it took her a second to notice Clara. She jumped when she did, and moved away from her.

"It's okay! I'm not gonna hurt you!", Clara said trying to get her to calm down. The girl's frightened eyes went to the blade still in the stranger's hand, and Clara, realising it was upsetting her, put it back in her belt. "It's okay", she repeated more calmly. "I'm Clara."

"What are you doing here? How did you find me?" The girl had an accent Clara had never heard before, so she concluded she must have been from a very distant land.

"I was looking for a creature. The shepherds are worried because it kills their sheep, I was just trying to find it."

"You were trying to kill it." She had a light in her eyes, one that mixed fear with fire.

Suddenly, she felt ashamed of having even thought of killing it. She looked down apologetically. "I just wanted to help." Clara wondered what that _wildness _in her could be. "Aren't you scared of it? You're out here on your own...it might hurt you."

The girl seemed to be a little more calmed. "Of course I'm scared of it, but that doesn't give me the right to kill it. Besides, it's never hurt me."

"You've seen the wolf?" Clara asked surprised.

"I never said that."

A tension settled between them. Clara was trying to figure out anything that made sense about this girl, but she found nothing. She was a complete mystery.

"You should go, it'll be dark soon." The girl's voice brought Clara back to the cave.

Something told her she should stay. "Yes, I should. I'm really sorry I startled you, I didn't mean to scare you."

"Don't worry. No harm done", she said ultimately.

Clara started the way back, but stopped before she was too far away. "Just one thing", she called out. "What's your name?" She wasn't sure why she suddenly wanted to know.

"Amy", the girl said with a smile.

"Nice to meet you, Amy", Clara said. And the girl gave her a small nod.

Making her way out of the cave, Clara noticed the mark of claws on the walls. That was definitely the wolf's cave.

Clara climbed a tree and waited until nightfall. The wolf wouldn't be able to catch her if she stayed up, and she could keep watch on the cave. Just to see if the wolf came back, of course.

She had the strange feeling that _something _just drew Amy and her together, like magic. She wasn't even sure what it was, but it felt like a tingling in her stomach.

The moon appeared, looking huge in the sky, and Clara heard strange sounds coming from inside the cave. She calmed herself thinking Amy was probably preparing herself to find another shelter for the night, but suddenly she heard it, and it was most definitely coming from inside the cave: a howl.

How could it be possible? She had been there for an hour and nothing had gone into the cave. The wolf had to have been inside the whole time.

In a matter of seconds, a massive wolf came out of the cave, running, and Clara couldn't see much of it.

A few minutes later, Clara resolved to venture into the cave again, to find where the wolf could have been hiding and to discover why Amy protected it.

But inside the cave there was nothing. No secret chamber, no hidden spot, no Amy. The only things there were the brown hood and the well-worn dress she had been wearing when she was sleeping, a mattress made of straw and a leather satchel.

Clara was puzzled, trying to put the pieces together, and suddenly an old memory of a book hit her. A tale about a curse that turned men into children of the moon.

_Amy was a werewolf._

Clara sat on the cave, reading the notes she had taken from books in her library and stories she had been told. Everything she read was consistent with what she remembered of a chapter about lycanthropes in a book on mythological creatures, and she couldn't understand how she hadn't seen it before. It seemed obvious now; the size, the fierceness, the timings...it all _screamed_ werewolf.

Clara decided she needed to go back to the tree if she wanted a chance to catch Amy and ask her about it the next day. She left the cave, and when she looked up at the sky she realised the night was almost over. She hadn't noticed that so much time had passed.

She started climbing the same tree from before, and just as she did, the wolf reappeared. It had red fur, almost the same shade as Amy's hair, and it nearly caught Clara, but she was just a tiny bit out of reach. The wolf gave up and started the way back to the cave, but all of the sudden a branch broke and Clara fell to the ground.

The wolf turned to her and she just knew that was it. She had chosen to risk her life and she had lost the bet. The beast was growling at her and Clara could see blood on its snout. She searched her mind for something that could save her, but she couldn't find anything. How do you reason with an animal?

Except this wasn't a regular animal; somewhere in there, there was a girl. Clara's only hope was Amy.

"Amy, I know you're in there. It's me, Clara. I know you're scared, but I _promise_ I'm not going to hurt you." Slowly, Clara took the blade and threw it away. It took all her hope and courage to carry on. "You're not a monster, and _I'm not afraid of you_."

The wolf's eyes were that green tone Amy had. Clara could see that fire and fear she had noticed in Amy too; they proved she was still _human_ inside. The wolf stopped growling and sat, looking at Clara like a confused puppy, its head tilted to the side.

The first rays of sunlight appeared and a golden shine surrounded the wolf. A second later, the light dissipated and Amy was in its place, laying on the ground naked and unconscious.

It took a minute for the princess to snap out of the shock state she was in, but finally she registered the danger was over.

She looked at the girl in front of her. Amy wasn't a monster, how could she be? She had recognised her and called off the attack; she had _trusted_ her. She was just scared.

But the people at the village were scared too. That's why she hadn't trusted her at first. She remembered how strange Amy's accent had been to her, and realised that was also probably why Amy was living alone in the woods so far away from home.

After a few minutes, Clara realised how cold it was, and finally registered Amy was _naked_. She picked the girl up and took her into the cave, carefully lying her back on the improvised bed and covering her with the hood she had found, to protect her from the cold but mostly because she couldn't stop looking at her. She noticed some logs and dry leaves and started a new fire to warm up the cave.

Two hours later, and with the adrenaline rush over, the princess was drifting off to sleep, but Amy's voice woke her up.

"Clara?" She moved closer to the bed. "What are you doing here? Did I hurt you?", Amy asked worried.

"Don't you remember what happened?"

"I..." She looked confused, like she was trying really hard to remember something. "You were there, in the woods...you said...no, I must have imagined it", she said shaking her head.

"I said I wasn't scared of you."

Amy stared at her with those same bewildered eyes she had when she was the wolf, but there was a softer shine to them. Tears gathered in them making them look wider. "You saw the wolf and you weren't scared?" A tear fell and left a trail down her face. Clara was moved by how meaningful that single phrase had been to Amy.

The brunette shook her head. "I knew it was you, you seemed like a nice girl. Somehow I knew you wouldn't hurt me." She smiled at her, and was suddenly aware of how close they were.

Silence settled between them, and the tension reappeared, but this time it felt more intimate than their previous meeting. Amy was the first to break the eye contact. "Uhm, I have tea in my bag. If you want some, I mean."

Clara's smile grew wider; now she had the chance to uncover something more of the mystery this girl presented. "I'd love some."

Amy put on her dress again, not even bothering with making sure Clara wasn't looking. She had seen her naked already, both literally and emotionally.

"You don't seem like a regular hunter. Why did you want to find the wolf?", Amy started while she served the tea, before sitting on the bed next to Clara.

"Ugh, I...I don't know what I was doing. I guess I was just trying to be the hero", Clara answered honestly. She saw Amy was expecting a story. She couldn't resist a story. "My father is the king of a little kingdom not too far away. He still treats me like a little girl who needs protection and keeps me locked up in our castle. We lost my mother a long time ago and he doesn't have anyone else; I get his point, but I've always wanted to see the world, to have adventures like the ones in my books."

"So you ran away."

"For a while at least. I know I have responsibilities, but at least I got to be myself before...well, it doesn't matter." Clara shook her head, as if it would make the thought go away. "What do you run from?"

"Everyone", she said simply. Clara raised an eyebrow, asking her to continue. "I lived with my aunt my whole life; never met my parents. She tried to protect me by hiding the wolf from me. Eventually I found out, along with the rest of the village so I had to run. I ran into a pack of wolves in the forest, people like me. They taught me to control the wolf, and for once I felt like I belonged somewhere. But lot of things happened and the leader -my _friend_\- wanted to start a war on humans…I just couldn't support her, after hurting so many people I couldn't keep doing it. We fought and I won. She died. I've been running ever since, moving from village to village, not staying long anywhere, hiding when the wolf's time comes."

They fell silent for a moment as Clara took in the story. Amy had been through too much, and a need to help her and protect her grew stronger in her.

"If you can control the wolf, why do you have to hide when there's a full moon?" Clara asked after some time had passed.

Amy thought about it for a moment. "Controlling it requires control over your emotions when you're a wolf, and after my friend's death I couldn't stay calmed being a wolf anymore. I keep remembering what I did to her, how I _hurt _her. I loved her, and I still hurt her. I'm a monster". Amy broke down as she spoke, and Clara reacted instantly, crossing the distance between them and wrapping her arms around her.

"You're not a monster, Amy, I know it. You didn't hurt _me_." Amy rested her head on Clara's shoulder and nestled against her, so close that she was almost sitting on her lap.

The princess allowed the girl to pour out her feelings until she stopped crying. Her breathing steadied, like she was falling asleep. "What stopped you? From hurting me, I mean", Clara asked, curious to what the answer was.

"I'm not sure", Amy said with a sob. "Somehow I heard you and regained control. That's why I remember what happened; when the wolf runs on its own I pass out afterwards and don't remember anything."

"And...if you _had _control over the wolf...could you choose when to transform? And you would remember everything you did and control your actions?" Clara wasn't sure of what was the idea forming in her head.

"Yes. Even during wolf's time, I wouldn't have to turn if I didn't want to." Amy made a pause and looked up at Clara. "Why?"

"I'm going to help you. If you can hear me when you're a wolf I can help you keep it under control", she said, hope in her bright eyes.

"But what if I can't? No, it's too dangerous, Clara."

"It's my choice to take the risk. And I believe in you."

There was an exchange between them when they fell silent. Their eyes were locked, and Clara tried to beat Amy's fears with her trust in her.

"You would do that for me?", the girl asked with hopeful eyes.

"I will", Clara said finally with a smile on her lips.

They prepared themselves before the sky went dark. They left the cave and stood in the forest, and once the moon was up in the blue sky the bright light enveloped Amy and turned her into a wolf and leaving her hood behind. The beast stared at Clara, getting closer and closer, without nice intentions.

"Amy, you can do this. I _know _you can. Just focus on my voice, Amy, I'm right here with you." The wolf kept moving towards her, and Clara took a step back. She tripped with a rock and fell to the ground, and almost instantly the wolf was over her. "You're not a monster, Amy. I know who you are". A tear fell down her face. "You're my _friend_".

The wolf stopped. It looked at the girl laying below and nuzzled the side of her face.

Clara was surprised at first, but then burst into laughter and placed a hand on the wolf's head, caressing it.

The wolf moved from over Clara and placed the hood over its back. The light reappeared and soon Amy was back in her human form, smiling. She ran towards Clara and hugged her, lifting her feet from the ground and spinning her around.

"I'm so proud of you", Clara said when Amy let her go.

"It's yourself you should be proud of. Thank you, Clara; you saved me."

They hugged again, celebrating their first accomplishment, but they knew there was still work to do.

* * *

A couple of weeks passed, and Amy had slowly managed to regain control over herself. She could turn whenever she wanted, and she could remember who she was when she transformed. It had been hard and with ups and downs, but she was finally feeling like her true self again.

They were picking up berries deep in the forest and Clara couldn't help to glance at Amy when she wasn't looking. Something new was growing inside her, something that wasn't there before. Staying with Amy for so long had showed her the different sides of the girl, and she remembered each one dearly, even the dangerous ones, because they showed the enormous effort Amy was doing to be the best version of herself.

But Clara wasn't the only one with newfound feelings. She could see it in the way Amy looked at her when she thought it was safe, in the way she treated her.

It would only take a little push, a tiny, almost imperceptible change, and they would fall for each other.

Amy glanced at her from a couple meters away, and she didn't see the huge branch balancing dangerously over her head. Clara caught sight of it just before it fell.

"Amy watch out!" She screamed, crossing the distance between them and protecting Amy with her body.

But nothing happened. The branch didn't hit them. They looked up and saw the giant piece of wood suspended in the air above them, being held in place by nothing at all.

Tentatively, Clara raised a hand and gestured to the side. The branch followed the movement and fell not too far from them.

She had stopped the branch with magic.

Amy looked up at the princess with a furrowed brow. "You have magic?", she asked, not believing her own words.

"Well...a little. Just some spells I read in a book. This is new." She allowed Amy to stand up properly, so now she looked down at Clara.

"Didn't your books tell you?" Clara looked at Amy with confused eyes. "You can't just do magic, you have to be special. Magic is in _you_, Clara."

Clara was even more puzzled than before. She had _powers_? How could she be a witch?

"Oh my stars". Suddenly her eyes widened. "I've never done anything like this before. What if it's out of control? What if I hurt you?"

Amy put her hands on Clara's shoulders, trying to calm her. "Clara, calm down. You're not gonna hurt me. Your magic reacted to protect me, I think that's saying something. It's not dark magic, Clara; it's light magic. It is powered by goodness, and bravery, and _love_." Amy hugged the princess. "You can't hurt anyone, Clara, you just need to believe in yourself".

That was the little push and Clara knew she had fallen for Amy.

The voice of a man interrupted the moment. "Hello? Everyone alright there?", he asked as he made his way towards them. He was wearing armour, and as he got closer Clara's eyes widened. She recognised the uniform, she had grown up surrounded by it. It was a man of her father's army.

The man looked at both girls for a second, but before Clara could say anything to stop him, he called out for the rest of his group.

"Sir! Come quickly!", he said, and stopped Clara when she tried to run. Amy tried to get him to release her, but he pushed her down to the ground.

A man in a shiny golden armour appeared, followed by at least a dozen soldiers. He was tall and well-built, with black hair and clear blue eyes.

"Clara", he said, looking like he couldn't believe she was there. "I've been looking for you everywhere." He threw his arms around her, and Clara was almost smothered by the force of his embrace. She pushed him away delicately.

"Andrew. Wasn't expecting to find you here." Clara said before helping Amy up and giving her an apologetic look.

"Who's _this_?", Amy asked Clara with a condescending tone.

"_I_ am her fiancé", he said drily. "Clara, why are you with this monster? Is she holding you prisoner?", Andrew said drawing out his sword and pointing it at Amy. "I know what you are, she-wolf."

"I'm with her because I want to. And she's _not_ a monster." Clara placed herself between the blade and Amy.

Andrew lowered the blade. "Go back with the horses, Clara. I'll take care of this _beast_."

"No! I'm not going anywhere, I'm not leaving her!"

Andrew took Clara by the neck, squeezing tightly. "You will do as I say!", he shouted.

In a heartbeat Amy turned into her wolf form and attacked Andrew so he would release Clara. All his men tried to get her away from him, but she defeated them all at once. Amy stopped right before killing him, growling as if she were telling him to never lay a hand on Clara again.

With the last remain of his strength, Andrew took a knife from his ankle and buried it on the wolf's side.

Amy fell to the ground, back in her human form. Clara used her magic and threw Andrew away, making him hit a tree.

Clara ran to Amy and kneeled by her side, her eyes full of tears. "Amy, I'm so sorry, this is all my fault." Her hands covered the wound to try and stop the bleeding.

"Hey, it's okay. I wanted to save you. I would do it again a thousand times." Amy closed her eyes, and Clara wrapped her free arm around her.

"Amy? Amy please, stay with me. Please..._I love you_." Clara pressed her lips against Amy's, wetting her face with her tears.

A bright white light appeared beneath the hand Clara had pressing the wound, and Amy's eyes opened again, returning Clara's kiss.

It was in every story: a kiss of true love could break through anything.

"You're a witch _and_ you're in love with a beast? Oh, your father will _love_ this." Andrew had managed to regain some consciousness. Clara wanted to throw a rock over his head, but she remembered her magic couldn't be motivated by hate. Amy saw the idea in Clara's head and held her hand.

"Go, Andrew. Tell him anything you want, I don't care. I'll still love him, even if he hates me."

Amy looked down at her with hopeful eyes. "Can I say something crazy? Run away with me."

Clara kissed her again. It was quite a nice feeling, the kind Clara could get used to. Amy pulled her back to the cave, where they grabbed their things as fast as they could. "Are you sure about this?", Clara asked just before they left.

"No. But it's my choice to take the risk", Amy answered, mirroring Clara's words from what seemed a long time ago. "You wanted adventure, to see the world. This is our chance."

"No time to lose, then", Clara replied with a cheeky smirk.

And so they left the cave, to explore this magic world and find their happy ending.


End file.
